Pope Benedict XVI gives his blessing as he is driven through the crowd during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2005. Pope Benedict XVI urged Polish pilgrims on Wednesday to pray for the beatification of Pope John Paul II, saying his predecessor's teachings and life were important for the faithful today. Benedict made the comments in Polish during his general audience, noting that six months had passed since John Paul's April 2 death. (AP Photo/Massimo Sambucetti) less

Pope Benedict XVI gives his blessing as he is driven through the crowd during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2005. Pope Benedict XVI urged Polish pilgrims ... more

Photo: MASSIMO SAMBUCETTI

Photo: MASSIMO SAMBUCETTI

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Pope Benedict XVI gives his blessing as he is driven through the crowd during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2005. Pope Benedict XVI urged Polish pilgrims on Wednesday to pray for the beatification of Pope John Paul II, saying his predecessor's teachings and life were important for the faithful today. Benedict made the comments in Polish during his general audience, noting that six months had passed since John Paul's April 2 death. (AP Photo/Massimo Sambucetti) less

Pope Benedict XVI gives his blessing as he is driven through the crowd during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2005. Pope Benedict XVI urged Polish pilgrims ... more

2005-10-06 04:00:00 PDT Rome -- The opening days of a Vatican meeting of 250 Catholic bishops under the auspices of Pope Benedict XVI has produced relative fireworks, considering the usual staid nature of such get-togethers.

Hot topics emerged from the moment the bishops sat down Monday. Among them were a purported shortage of priests, the debate over letting priests marry, and whether Communion should be offered to divorced Catholics or to politicians who support abortion rights.

Detailed daily briefings about the closed sessions gave the issues a public airing unusual by Vatican standards. Such was the crush of headlines that the Vatican responded with a venerable method of control -- it limited the information provided to journalists and the public.

Clergy who had been briefing reporters said Wednesday that, from now on, they would disclose only the topics of discussion, but no details, so the bishops could speak more freely.

Bishops from 118 countries are meeting in Vatican City. Known as a synod, the gathering was formally called to discuss the Eucharist, the central Mass sacrament of bread and wine. However, working papers presented at synods, which take place every two years, cover a wide range of topics. This is the first synod since Benedict replaced the late Pope John Paul II in the spring.

The prelates sit in a special hall that resembles an amphitheater, as if attending a college lecture. Each is given six minutes speaking time in a daily discussion session. The bishops will make recommendations to the pope at the end of the three-week meeting.

The limits on synod information were laid down a day after one speaker, U.S. Archbishop William Levada, was quoted as saying the bishops ought to discuss banning Communion for Catholic politicians who back abortion rights. The issue "has caused some divisions among the people in the church," said Levada, who was archbishop of San Francisco until he went to the Vatican in August to assume leadership of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the post Benedict vacated when he was elevated to pope.

During last year's U.S. presidential campaign, at least one American bishop said he would refuse to give Communion to the Democratic candidate, Sen. John Kerry, because of his support of abortion rights.

A day before Levada's remarks, the briefers aired a debate over priestly celibacy.

In the past, Benedict displayed antipathy to such give-and-take in public and criticized theologians for discussing all sides of issues on the ground that open debate confuses parishioners.

A representative from an Eastern Rite church, one of the bodies in the traditionally Orthodox Christian region of the world that recognizes Vatican authority, suggested that Catholic rules requiring celibacy among priests had no theological grounds.

Bishop Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines said the synod must squarely confront the priest shortage so congregations can provide proper services.

The National Council of Priests of Australia, which claims to represent half the country's clergy, offered a letter to the synod saying the priesthood could attract more recruits if the church allowed priests to marry and opened a debate on the ordination of women.

According to statistics that the church issued two years ago, there was 1 priest for every 2,677 Catholics, compared with 1 for every 1,797 in 1978.

Bishops also took up the issue of letting Catholics who divorce and remarry take Communion, the briefers said Tuesday. Under Catholic teaching, those who remarry can receive Communion only if their first marriages were annulled by the church.

Archbishop John Atcherly Dew of Wellington, New Zealand, said, "There are those whose first marriages ended in sadness; they have never abandoned the church but are currently excluded from the Eucharist."